After 15 years as an art teacher at St. Joseph Elementary School, Annie Heller was considering retirement to take care of an aging parent. But new contract language that seeks to dictate the private conduct of teachers in all of the schools operated by the Catholic Church’s Oakland diocese sealed her decision to move on, she said.

Heller, who is among the 18 percent of teachers employed by the Oakland diocese who aren’t Catholic, has close friends and family members who are gay and a son who lives with his longtime girlfriend. Being gay and living with an unmarried partner are both prohibited by church teachings.

“I just felt like I can’t say, ‘Oh, let me sign this,’” Heller said during an interview late last week.

Heller is one of just a handful of East Bay Catholic school teachers to speak out publicly against the controversial contract language. She said she feels it’s important to speak out for others who can’t.

“The diocese has them over a barrel. They need their jobs,” Heller said.